Review: Torchwood – Corpse Day

James Goss is not only producing but also taking on writing duties on this two-hander that gives us a return of Tom Price as PC Andy & for the first time on Big Finish audio Burn Gorman as Owen Harper.In an effort to bring together Cardiff’s finest & Torchwood for a better working relationship there has been a long standing tradition of Corpse Day. A day where one living police officer and a dead member of Torchwood team up to take down an other-worldly bad guy. This time it’s the turn of Andy & the dearly departed Owen.

Andy is already on the case of a series of mysterious disappearances of local woman over a series of years. Owen wants to blame the rift and go back to his grave but Andy convinces him there is more to it. Thus they are drawn in to a world where a man is a monster and what appears to be a monster might be more than meets eye.

I scarcely need to reference James Goss’s pedigree when it comes to Big Finish and especially the Torchwood range; but let’s just say he once again hits the mark. This is a wonderful tale. The beauty of it, as with a lot of classic Torchwood & Doctor Who is that once you get past the larger than life set up & the other worldly presences; there is a simple and engaging story. And as a friend of mine recently commented on a TV episode of Doctor Who, it’s great when the really monster might just be the man not the creature in the story. What a great conceit ‘Corpse Day’ is too; one that could easily be used to bring back any one of our lost friends from the Torchwood team (if your reading this Mr Goss sir, Ianto back from the dead next please sir!).

Tom Price as ever delivers the goods as the affable, sometimes dim witted and always fun PC Andy and makes a great paring with the ‘too cool for school’, usually wouldn’t be caught dead with him Owen Harper (oh hell yeah, pun intended!). Speaking of which how good is it to see Burn Gorman back in the fold. On the extras we hear how this was recorded just days before the 10th anniversary of Torchwood.

It made me a little sad he wasn’t back in time to record a part in the mega mix team ups we got for the anniversary (The Torchwood Archive); but it does makes me hopeful he will be there for the next one. Both gents are spellbinding in this and I think we should see them team up again. Great counter points to each other. Also nice to see Owen a bit more on the back foot. He starts off playing it cool as usual; but as we see his limitations as the undead we soon find him having to rely on his new, if not unwanted partner.

There is also a great supporting cast and collection of additional characters that flesh out this story and give it a nice sinister tone. I think director Scott Handcock must have had a lot of fun with this one.

All in all a fine mix of classic Torchwood & new ideas. I give this 9/10 corpses!